New 12-screen Deltona theater impresses adults, children

DELTONA -- The first movie hadn't even started yet on opening day at the Epic Theatres of West Volusia, and already Rafaela Garcia felt protective.

"I'm keeping an eye on it," she said Wednesday. "People better keep their feet off these things. I will say something."

Garcia, seated in one of the nearly 2,800 high-backed, leatherette rockers in front of the theater's 12 screens, called the new theater "gorgeous, beautiful." She has lived in Deltona -- the most populous city between Jacksonville and Orlando -- for eight years, but had not been able to go to the movies in her own city.

Instead, she and Deltona's other 85,000 residents had to go to Orange City, DeLand, Sanford or farther to enjoy a show.

It took nearly 10 years for DeLand-based Epic Theatres to assemble the land parcels, put together financing, hurdle governmental regulations and construct the 50,000-square-foot theater near the Interstate 4-State Road 472 interchange in Deltona.

City leaders have long pointed to the theater as the starting point for new development of Deltona's northwest side. The theater, located near the intersection of North Normandy Boulevard and East Graves Avenue, has several outparcels available for other developments, such as restaurants and retail, and could be the realization of the decades-old Activity Center concept.

"Anyone who questioned whether or not this would happen can now see it's there," Deltona Mayor John Masiarczyk said Wednesday. "I think it will encourage others to take that step in the right direction to start an economic development boom out there."

Following an invitation-only event Tuesday night, the first film shown to the paying public Wednesday was "The Adventures of Tintin," an animated action-adventure collaboration between director Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson. Ticket prices for matinees ranged from $7.50 for adults to $6 for seniors, while the theater's two 65-foot XL screens after 4 p.m. topped out at $11.50 for adults.

Pat Snowden of Lake Helen and grandchildren Jayma and William Griffin were the first through the door before noon Wednesday.

"I'm so excited," Snowden said. "This is only 10 minutes from my house."

In addition to enjoying the opening, the family was celebrating William's 11th birthday.

He seemed impressed by the rocking seats and the many drink flavors available.

Afterward, Snowden said the children were blown away by the experience.

"That was a great movie," she said. "(The children) said that was one of the best movies they've ever seen. William said, 'Grammy, this movie is awesome.' "

Young people in particular seemed impressed with the theater's size.

"It's very, very cool," said 8-year-old Victoria Vazquez. "It's enormous. And we have very bendy chairs."

Frank DeMarsh, president of Epic Theaters, a fourth-generation family business, said the movie theater business has to compete with the growing number of entertainment and movie-delivery options.

"We have to create a theater experience and make if feel different from what (people) are getting at home," DeMarsh said.

The earliest crowds Wednesday were sparse, but the parking lot was filling up my mid-afternoon.

Iona Osborne, a Deltona resident for 26 years, was among the first to try out one of the giant screens for "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol."